EXPLORING REBDENSTE
Rabdentse, West Sikkim it is l llIt lIt is located near Pelling and in the West Sikkim district . It was established by Tensung Namgyal, the son of Phunstog Namgyal, the first Chogyal of Sikkim and remained the second city of the erstwhile kingdom of Sikkim for over a century. The city was destroyed by the invading Gurkha army in the 18th Century and today, its ruins stand as a sentinel of its regal past. Rabdentse was the second capital of the former Kingdom of Sikkim from 1670 to 1814. The capital city was destroyed by the invading Gurkha army and only the ruins of the palace and the chortens are seen here now. However, the ruins of this city are seen close to Pelling and in West Sikkim district in the Northeastern Indian state of present-day Sikkim; Pemayangtse Monastery is one of the oldest monasteries in Sikkim which is close to the ruins. The Rabdentse ruins are part of Buddhist religious pilgrimage circuit starting with the first monastery at Yuksom known as the Dubdi Mon...